And There He Was
by Blaze Freyidi
Summary: When unprovoked attacks begin against wolves and vamps alike, Leah Clearwater fights with her pack and allies to defend themselves from this unknown enemy. Usual pairings, LeahxOC
1. The Beginning: Strange Behavior

A/N: I hated that the series ended with Leah alone! Yeah, she was taking the first steps towards healing from Sam, but still! I decided to write this story not just for my own peace of mind over the poor wolf-girl, but for every other woman left heartbroken because the man she loved found someone else to be his soulmate. Hope you like it. As always, your reviews are greatly appreciated.

Disclaimer: Don't own anything. If I did, Bella would have ended up with Jacob. Hot-bodied wolf-boys are soooo much better to hold than ice cold bloodsuckers.

And There He Was

Chapter One

Word spread like wildfire through our ranks: the Volturi had been defeated. Not so much by force, but by sheer numbers and might. A most unusual group of upstarts had stared down the biggest dog in the pack and lived to brag about it. Not that they were. Oh no, the Volturi themselves had provided the dozens of witnesses who were now busy slandering their power and singing praises for the Cullens.

Admittedly, I was fascinated. Rarely had I met those of my kind willing to forgo human blood, most believing that to do so would weaken or even kill them. To learn of an entire coven, no, family of vampires who have done just that for nearly a century piqued my dormant curiosity.

I traveled slowly, relishing the wind tangling through my auburn curls as the dusty old Harley roared westward.

* * *

Moist earth gave way beneath my paws as I raced against my heartbeat. A rare bottle green canopy whisked by over my head, the sweet scent of northern winds rushing my nose. Running was freedom, especially with the unusual silence echoing through the halls of my mind. Losing myself within the wolf offered a sort of peace, a much needed escape from the emotional hazards of human life.

After a week of being cooped up with every woman in our family, Emily's wedding gown was finally completed today. Mom decided that forcing me to attend the dreaded event wasn't torture enough, and ordered that I help. Emily was beautiful, naturally. Imagining her wearing that dress on the day she married Sam, _my_ Sam, nearly broke my heart all over again.

And so I ran. I pushed my body until it burned, mile after mile, yearning for the freedom I sometimes glimpsed in Jacob's memories but not brave enough to leave. Despite my talk of running away and starting a new life, I knew I was trapped; what was a wolf without her pack?

_If you ever did decide to leave, you'd tell me first, right?_ _Leah?_ Halted with shock, dirt sprayed up into the air in front of me. I hadn't even sensed Jacob phase. It worried me that I'd been so absorbed with my own thoughts; anything could have happened. _I don't have the right to ask you not to go, but with the new kids and all-_

_Chill, fur ball. I'm not going anywhere; I can play nanny forever if you need me. _I could feel the relief emanating from his end of the connection. Too bad he didn't get sarcasm. The Clearwater babysitting service was closing soon, and nothing he did or said would change that.

There were quite a few extra pups to train after our showdown with the big vamp badies. A good number of them rankled under Sam just as much as we had so they defected to our pack. The oldest was fourteen...the youngest was eight. Eight years old and he was condemned to be a monster for an indeterminate period of time, possibly forever. Life not only wasn't fair, sometimes it was down right cruel. Here's to hoping the poor baby didn't imprint so young as well; the older wolves seemed to be dropping like flies.

The children (what else could I think of them) were unruly and wild at times, tempers short and explosive. Accidental phasing was at an all-time high. It had gotten to the point where some of the less reliable pups had to be placed in a special school, wolves only. My mother and I were placed in charge of their education until such time as they could control themselves. Mom was chosen because, as a retired teacher and one mean bitch, she was the most qualified. I was thrown into the mix because I was her daughter and the only female wolf. Sexist pigs in charge thought that little bit might make a difference. Good thing I'm an even bigger bitch than my mom, because it didn't. Hormonal preteen werewolves were insane, but insanely powerful as well. We were _this_ close to using all that pent up angst to stage a rebellion. That's what the dottering fools deserved for relegating the Clearwater women to this hellish babysitting duty.

_Hahahahaha...._ Jacob's rolling laughter snapped me out of my lovely daydreams. I could see him through the trees now and his furry sides actually shook with mirth. _I can totally see Sue leading the charge. She'd be in head-to-toe camo waving a machette in the air! Hahahahahaha..._

I gave a wolfy grin at the image he sent as I loped closer, then wiped it off quickly and snapped at his nose.He jumped back, yelping pathetically.

_Damn straight, and just you remember it! United, we will be free! _We fell into laughter then, giggling like the children in my proposed army.

* * *

It wasn't until I returned home exhausted and glowing that I realized exactly what he'd done. Leave it to Jacob to use absurdity to make you forget the unpleasant. With a grateful smile on my face, I was about to jump in the shower when a knock rang out from the front door. Figuring it was Charlie calling on my mom, I wrapped myself in a robe and prepared to send him on his way, grinning the whole way there.

Still relaxed and smiling, I swung the door open, the bright greeting on my lips dying when I saw who had disturbed my afternoon.

"What are _you_ doing here," I asked with hostility, the shock quickly morphing into a scowl. _Thanks anyway, Jake,_ I thought bitterly. _Freaking bastard just can't seem to leave me be._

"We're calling an emergency meeting of the council and both packs. Seth's gone to tell Jacob and Sue asked that I come get you." Sam shuffled his feet uneasily, barely able to return my unfriendly gaze.

"What could possibly be that important, oh spineless wonder," the hostility in my voice thickened with suspicion. His face crumpled and he hugged himself, just as he always has when intensely upset. Seeing such a defensive and familiar gesture, I regretted letting my bitch free. "Sam, what happened?"

"I-I don't want to have to go through this twice," he chocked out, his voice cracking. I opened my mouth to object, but his plea halted my words. "_Please_, Leah." Searching his face, I saw how much that had cost him. In all the time we had known each other, I'd only seen him this close to crying once: when he'd hurt Emily.

"Okay, pull up a seat and just wait for me to get dressed." I opened the door wider to let him through and hurried off to dress. I didn't bother waiting to see if he'd take the invitation to enter. Once within the relative privacy of my room, I collapsed on the bed and fought to hold back violent sobs as I cried.

I didn't want an almost crying Sam sitting in my living room. I didn't want the sight of his distress to affect me this strongly. More importantly, I didn't want to feel this overwhelming urge to rush back out there and hold him, to still love him enough that his pain affected me this way. Eventually gaining control over myself, I wiped my eyes and dressed quickly.

Quietly, I shuffled out of my room. The living room was empty and the front door still open. Going out onto the porch, I closed the door behind me and found Sam hunched into a ball on the steps. I couldn't stop myself. Before I was really aware of my actions, I was kneeling on the rough wood next to him, my arms wrapped around his shoulders. At that moment, I wasn't thinking about our turbulent past or Emily; I was offering comfort to someone who had been my entire life, once upon a time.

His arms lifted and I prepared myself to be pushed away, relishing the last moment of having Sam in my arms. Shock coursed through me when, instead of removing himself from my grasp, he crushed me against his chest and pressed his face into my neck. The fingers of his left hand buried in my hair and his shoulders shook. I was drowning in his scent, trying to remember why we were clinging to each other.

Barely, over the pulse pounding in my ears, I heard him murmur apologies over and over again. They obviously weren't for me, so I ignored his words and fought the urge to pretend he was still mine. I knew that if I did, the pain would be unbearable once reality came crashing down. I held him as he took what comfort he needed, doing so in the only capacity left to me: his friend.


	2. The Beginning: Saying Goodbye

A/N: I hope you guys liked the first chapter. It took me a while to write because I was trying to get everything just right. I'm continuing here from where it left off to space things out a bit and I assure you this isn't a Leah x Sam fic. As always, your thoughts and opinions are greatly valued, so please leave a review. Also, if anyone might be interested in being my beta, drop me a line. I'm in desperate need and no one I've contacted has responded.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything....that is all.

And There He Was

Chapter Two

I finally pulled away from his solid warmth when he showed no signs of doing so, glad to see that he appeared more stable. Shockingly enough, he seemed to regret the loss and held me tight to prevent a full escape. His fingers trailed forward from my hair to my cheek in a gentle caress I had missed for so long. A familiar intensity came over his expression as he stared at my lips and I used my full strength to leap off the porch, pulling free in the process.

"Leah, I'm-"

"We've got to get going, don't we?" I faked a bright voice, moving towards his truck on shaky knees, unable to turn and meet his gaze. My steps slowed the longer he remained silent and unmoving until I stopped, clinging to the passenger door. Finally, I heard the old stairs creak as he unfolded to follow.

"Yeah, lets go." The roughness of his voice sent shivers down my spine, which I subdued violently and climbed in the cab.

_What the _**hell**_ is he up to, _I shouted silently. My emotions were in chaos as I tried to figure out what had just almost happened. Deciding that my sanity was at stake, I fought to suppress all thoughts and reactions, striving to find my previous conviction to simply be his friend.

* * *

Tension was thick in the air as we pulled up behind the council house. Quietly, we sat in the cab for several minutes after the truck was turned off, Sam white-knuckling the steering wheel as I carefully thought of nothing. A loud crack resounded within the tiny truck as Sam snapped the wheel in half and I cursed myself for jumping like a ninny.

"Maybe we should get inside while there's still some truck left to ride home in," I muttered snidely, letting loose some of the anger simmering in my stomach over the porch incident as I slid out. Not waiting for a response, I slammed the door with a deafening crash and stomped up to the back door.

Stopping in the doorway, I breathed deeply and drowned myself in the resinous scent of cedar that had once meant friends, family, and safety. Back when Dad was here, the council house was where we would celebrate community events and personal milestones. Any time the party went past sunset, we would take it out through the ornately carved double wooden doors onto the beach to light up the night with blue bonfires. Where once the walls had resounded with joyous laughter, today an anxious anger filled the large room.

Waving to my mother near the head of the council table, I went to take my rightful place at Jacob's side. Sam moved to stand with Emily before his own pack as the youngsters fell into rank behind their respective Alpha. I shifted impatiently as the council continued to stare at us. Looking around, I did a quick head count and saw that nearly every wolf and elder was present, so what were they waiting for? Less than a minute later, I had my answer.

Foul beyond belief, their scent preceded them. Human noses wrinkled in disgust as wolfish instincts clamoured to be heard but were forcefully denied. Emmet was the first to enter, the scowl on his face truly frightening as his muscles flexed with anger. After him, the other Cullens quickly followed, Carlisle somehow appearing drawn and ashen despite the marble-like quality of his skin. Giving Jacob a sad little smile, Nessie quickly buried her face in her mother's side. I glanced to Jacob for clarification but saw the same unmitigated despair that weighed Sam down.

Once everyone was present and seated, Old Quill nodded to Sam. Intense grief was once again consuming his expression as he slowly walked to the front of the room, causing me to ache with sympathy as I feared what was to come.

"Earlier," he began gruffly but had to stop. Clearing his throat, he tried again. "Earlier today there was an attack made on one of our joint scouting parties." A shocked gasp ripped through the Quileute part of the crowd, though the vampires showed no surprise and just glowered more darkly. "The aggressors were a group of strange blood-...vampires," he corrected with a quick glance to the Cullens. We leaned toward him with bated breath, waiting to hear the rest, but he seemed to have choked again.

"Continue, Sam," my mother urged, her voice more gentle than I had ever heard it. He nodded determinedly and took a deep breath.

"It was Jared and-and Kel...I-I'm so sorry." Finally, the promised tears fell. I jumped to my feet at this, looking around desperately for the tiny young face that was missing from our side of the room. Jacob grabbed my hand and held on as I fought past the phasing shakes that started in the clenched muscles of our tensed arms. "He's-...God, I can't! I can't..." Sam's voice trailed off as he clutched his arms around himself. Emily rushed to his side and fluttered, unsure of what to do for her distraught lover. Carefully, Jasper glided to the front and helped her get Sam into a seat. He then replaced him as the focus of attention.

"I'll finish. It is understandably difficult for Sam to do so." The eerie calm flooding from him may have kept the shakes in control, but nothing could have stopped the tears from free-flowing down my face without a care for any perceived weakness they may cause. "Carlisle, Bella, Alice, and I were hunting when we caught the attacker's trail. We followed it to the edge of your land and were attempting to inform you of this when we heard the fight. I'm afraid we did breech borders, but thought it was prudent under the circumstances." He paused briefly to shore up his wall of calm as a few younger wolves showed signs of heightened distress.

"The older one, Jared, was fighting two large vampires. We helped him destroy them and burned their remains." He paused yet again, finally showing emotion as his face crumpled with sadness. "I...regret to say we arrived too late for Carlisle to save the boy, Kelvin. There aren't enough words to express our sorrow for your loss. We hope you'll eventually find comfort in the knowledge that he single-handedly took one of those bastards with him!"

No one could speak. The grief was too crushing. Eight years old and a monster no more. Now he was an empty shell for a mother, no, for a people to grieve over. I could almost feel his fragile child's arms wrapped around my waist in his customary hug. He'd been such an affectionate little thing. Finally, Embry worked up the courage to ask one of the questions screaming through all our minds:

"What was a little kid doing running patrol?"

"Our group doesn't have enough mature wolves," Jacob whispered, speaking for the first time since I entered the building. "You know that as well as anyone, Embry, seeing as how Sam and I have had you help teach _all _the pups to decipher scents and sounds. They asked me this morning if it was okay." He shook violently and Seth grabbed his other hand. "It was just supposed to be a short circuit; a quick once around to give him a feel for it. No problems, no drama. He most definitely wasn't supposed to..."

"I gave my permission for Jared to take him too, Jake. We have to believe that this isn't anyone's fault but those damn vamps."

"The others, not you guys," Seth piped up softly, just in case the Cullens mistook his meaning.

"No, I think he had it right the first time!" Paul exploded. Everyone stared at him in shock. "Do you really expect us to believe that you tried your best?" he asked condescendingly. "That you rushed to the rescue of two wolves and willingly fought for them against your own kind?"

"There was no 'two wolves', you pathetic-" Emmet stopped mid-growl and tried again in a more reasoning tone. "The child was gone before they ever arrived."

"Oh, really? How would you know when you weren't there? How do you know they didn't just stand by until one of them fell and-"

"Shut up!" Sam and Jacob ordered at the same time, exploding from their seats with a menacing lunge. Paul jumped and looked around at both packs with wide, shocked eyes. Finding no supporters for these outlandish accusations, he swallowed harshly and faced our side, soldiering on like the idiot he was.

"You aren't my Alpha, Jacob. You're nothing but a-"

"No, but I am," Sam bit out, cutting him off before he could cause even more damage. "You will shut up and sit down." When Paul opened his mouth to argue, Sam crushed him under a tidal wave of Authority. "_**You will be silent! Now sit!" **_There was a resounding crash as he fell to the ground, shattering his chair and landing in a pathetic whimpering heap. Seeing the disapproval on Old Quill's face, guilt coursed through me from the pleasure I felt at watching Sam squash Paul's will and I squirmed in my seat, fighting back the unholy urge to laugh.

"All of you will banish any similar ridiculous thoughts," Old Quill ordered, his fiery gaze even more potent burning from sunken eyes as it swept the crowd. "I may not know the Cullens very well on a personal level, but you will _never_ convince me that a doctor and a mother whose child is of similar age would twiddle their thumbs while an eight year old boy dies simply because he's not their species. Displaced anger during times of stress does nothing but tear a group apart, so please keep in mind who is really to blame here: the tree vampires who trespassed on our land and killed your brother. _No one else,_" he stressed, his gaze boring straight into Jacob and Sam.

"Thank you, everyone, for coming" he continued in his papery voice. "You will all be informed of the details once Kelvin's family has them figured out." He rose and the rest of the council followed, passing through the carved double doors and out into the night.

Silence descended on the room as everyone lost themselves in there own grief. I couldn't help but remember the mischievous grin of a tiny raven-haired boy who could always manage to find trouble and skim his way back out again. I suppose that this time, his luck had run out.

* * *

The cremation ceremony was beautiful.

Kelvin's strong, proud mother placed her child's favorite worldly possessions on the pyre with his wrapped body. Then she stood back and, with dry eyes, helped her husband, Jacob, and I put torch to tinder; quickly, flame erupted as the driftwood and cedar caught. A sharp, spicy scent filled the air to mask the smell of whatever else was burning.

Silent in the shadows, the Cullens surrounded our ceremony in a protective circle, their gift being freedom to mourn without worry. As one, our tribe sank to the sand around the striated orange and blue flames. The night air rang out with the voice of our people as we sang songs of safe passage and rebirth.

* * *

It's unusual how life works sometimes; how it throws a disjointed mix of people into grueling situations to forge and strengthen their bonds. We thought we were morning the loss of a brother that night, from what ultimately equaled a training accident. What none of us knew, could never imagine, was that he would be but the first casualty of the coming war.

A/N: I hope you've enjoyed the first two chapters. Reading over what I have so far, I probably should have just left them as one but I guess it's too late to fix that. Again, I ask that anyone interested in being my beta should drop me a line. Please review and tell me what you think...is the writing suffering with the lack of someone to edit? Other than myself, of course.


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